Dad's Birthday

Last night, we celebrated by dad’s (twenty)third birthday with a small dinner party. Can you believe he had me when he was only three?

I spent the entire day cooking, cleaning and preparing for the party. I love playing hostess, so I always make sure everything is just right! Breakfast and lunch were eaten in a hurry:

Nature’s Path SmartBran, Nature’s Path Millet Puffs, blackberries and almond milk

The last of my TJ’s habanero lime tortillas with PB&Co.’s The Heat is On peanut butter

Stawbs + bloobs

Millet puffs in almond milk

While I prepared the food, my brother helped clean the yard of branches and other debris that fell during the big storm. He found this big guy in our pool, and brought him back down to our pond so he wouldn’t die!

We started off with plenty of appetizers: sun-dried tomato and olive hummus from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan with crudités and whole-wheat pita, salsa with Garden of Eatin’ multigrain chips, softly spiced nuts from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan, and bleu cheese stuffed olives.

Sun-dried tomato and olive hummus- this was an absolute hit, I’d absolutely recommend making it for your next gathering!

Whole-wheat pita for hummus dipping

Salsa (Costco brand is the best!) with Garden of Eatin chips

Softly spiced nuts- these were delicious, but the humidity made the topping kind of sticky

Bleu cheese stuffed olives

While everyone enjoyed the apps, I put the finishing touches on the meal. The menu included wheat and baguette bread, a Greek salad, vegan broccoli slaw, Moroccan tempeh, cold quinoa with cashews and basil, and wild Alaskan salmon on the grill.

The whole spread

Wheat loaf and baguette

Greek salad with spring mix, tomatoes, cucumbers, red peppers, onions, Kalamata olives, organic feta cheese and homemade oil & vinegar dressing

Vegan broccoli slaw, a recipe I got from Mike’s mom’s Food for Life class

Moroccan tempeh, which Mike’s mom also shared with me awhile ago. Everyone raved about this- if you’re trying to get someone to try vegan foods, this is a great recipe to try! I’ve included it at the bottom of this post.

Cold quinoa with basil and cashews, from The Kind Diet

Wild Alaskan salmon, which my brother cooked on the grill. Look how pink it is, with no artificial coloring!

My first plate (I went back for seconds on the broccoli slaw and quinoa salad):

After yesterday’s crazy storm, we were lucky to have beautiful weather and POWER! Some people in our area are still without it. We took advantage of the slightly cooler temperatures and sat at our picnic table in the backyard.

The whole group:

My grandparents, my Uncle Pete and Aunt Bonnie, me, my brother Luke and his fiancée Cammy, my Uncle Jack and Aunt Jan, my dad’s good friends Bill and Judy, and my mom. Check out the huge branch in the background that fell during the storm!

For dessert, there were three options: Super Charge Me Cookies from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan, fruit salad, and of course, birthday cake!

Cranberry almond Super Charge Me cookies

Fruit salad with strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, mango, peaches and apple

The piece de resistance: chocolate peanut butter cup cake, adapted from Bakerella (recipe at end of post)

We all sang happy birthday to my dad before digging in!

I filled my plate with a slice of cake and tons of fruit salad, then went back for seconds of both. It’s rare that I help myself to two full slices, but this was just too delicious to resist. I was proud of myself for enjoying the second slice just as much as the first!

Before the night was over, I made sure to get a picture with the birthday boy.

After saying goodbye to everyone, I cleaned the kitchen and headed to bed. All in all, the evening was a huge success! My dad had a lot of fun, and while I was worried that the healthier meal might not go over well, everyone seemed to enjoy it. It’s been years since we had a party to celebrate my dad’s birthday, but he definitely deserved it. I’m glad it went well!

Today’s agenda includes lots of relaxing and feasting on leftovers J Hope your weekend is off to a fantastic start!

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Moroccan Tempeh

• 2 8oz tempeh cakes
• ½ c olive oil
• ½ c water
• ¼ c lemon juice
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 2 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp chile powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 crushed garlic cloves
• ¼ c to ½ c chopped cilantro

Chop the tempeh into small squares. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and marinate for 1-2 hours. Pour into baking pan, cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake (adapted from Bakerella)

For the cake (adapted from Too Much Chocolate cake at allrecipes.com)

·      1 package devil’s food cake mix

·      1 6oz package of instant chocolate pudding mix

·      1 c sour cream

·      1 c vegetable oil

·      4 eggs

·      ½ c warm water

·      2 c chopped mini Reese’s peanut butter cups

For the frosting

·      1.5 c heavy cream

·      8oz good-quality dark chocolate

·      ¾ c creamy peanut butter

·      more chopped mini Reese’s for garnish

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, vegetable oil, eggs and warm water. Fold in chopped peanut butter cups and pour into two well-greased 9” cake pans. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before using a serrated knife to even the tops of the cake.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring heavy cream to a soft boil before pouring over chocolate in a mixing bowl. Whisk until the chocolate is melted, then whisk in peanut butter.

To assemble cake, sprinkle top of bottom layer with chopped peanut butter cups and then pour a generous cover of frosting between the two cake layers. Add the top layer and pour frosting over entire cake, allowing it to drip down the sides rather than spreading it (the icing is fairly liquidy before it is cooled). Press remaining peanut butter cups into cake, and allow to set in refrigerator for about an hour.

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What’s your favorite dish to make for a party? I think the hummus and tempeh will become new staples in our house!

When is your birthday? Any other January babies out there?